Bad Driving Habits That Can Damage a Car

There are many car owners or drivers who are aware of the maintenance schedule and process to keep the car in a good shape. They know it is important and aren’t reluctant to take the necessary actions. But only few of them know that even driving habits make a lot of difference in the well-being of the car. There are some driving habits that damage the car beyond proportion, but as that doesn’t happen all of a sudden but acts as slow poisoning, people might not realize why and how the performance is deteriorating in spite of taking all the necessary care of it.

While discussing with an expert from the Ontario Mazda dealer, some useful and insightful information got revealed about which are some common driving habits that wreck the car without the knowledge of the driver.

Continuous Use of the Clutch

Keeping a foot continuously on the clutch prevents it from engaging it fully. The clutch plate would tend to slip at some point of time and will wear off much early than expected. Maintaining the clutch in a depressed state while driving in the traffic or waiting at traffic lights is also not at all a good idea. As an alternative it is better to put the car in neutral gear whenever the car is paused. A depressed clutch is indicative of forcing the clutch against the natural process of release bearing.

Wrong Gear Applications

Though apparently it might not show any prominent sign of damage, but nothing is more strenous for the engine than forcing it to carry the car with the wrong gear. When a high gear is applied, it pressurizes the bottom end of the engine especially around the crank parts and on the con rods. Again, application of too low gear is indicative of revving much more than it is required to do. What happens in such cases is that, the top end of the engine just around the cams, valves and lifters are made to work too hard that finally wears off all these parts too early.

Ignoring the Warning Lights

Sometimes, drivers tend to ignore the warning lights shown on the car control panel. But doing such can lead to some serious damage to the vehicle. If there is a warning light on, make sure to book a schedule at the auto service and get it checked out before it is too late.

Revving the Cold Engine

According to the Ontario Mazda, it is always better to let the car warm up for a couple of minutes especially when the weather is cold. But if one tries to rev the engine when it is cold, the oil won’t get enough time to circulate and protect it.

Hard braking

Brakes are lifelines of the vehicle, it can lead to a life-threatening situation if the brakes are worn out. So, try your best not to slam the brakes continuously. A gradual slowing down and a smooth stop keeps the vehicle out of danger and at the same time you need not visit the repair shop at unpredictable times.

Changing these damaging driving habits would save the car and even from a heavy bill at the repair shop.